David Ellison just bought Warner Bros. Discovery, turning his company Skydance Corp. into one of the biggest studios in Hollywood. That means the man who shut down Stephen Colbert’s Late Show now owns the network that airs Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. And Oliver did not mention it.
The merger is set to close Oct. 6. Ellison and his father Larry acquired the companies through a merger that cost $111 billion in debt. The immediate fallout will likely include:
- Massive job cuts
- A shift in the editorial direction of CNN
- A shift in the editorial direction of CNN, similar to the changes Ellison and Bari Weiss pushed at CBS News
But Oliver, who recently extended his contract with HBO to 2027, chose not to address the takeover on his show. Instead, he spent the episode mocking incompetence and lack of resources at the Secret Service — a subject that happens to touch on the very kind of leadership that made Ellison famous.
Ellison’s Record at CBS
Ellison pulled the plug on Colbert’s Late Show during the Trump administration, reportedly at the request of his political ally, President Trump. Given that history, Oliver’s audience had reason to wonder whether the comedian would survive under a boss who has shown a willingness to cancel shows he dislikes.
The Secret Service Segment
On Sunday night, Oliver’s main story covered the history of Secret Service protection of the U.S. president. The segment pointed to the numerous security breaches that have nearly cost Trump his life, citing incompetence, lack of resources and a “doing more with less” culture within the agency. The show noted that the Department of Homeland Security once hired Hollywood filmmaker Michael Bay to shoot a pricey recruitment ad that aired during the Super Bowl.
The segment culminated with a parody ad for the Secret Service, starring Adam DeVine and Anders Holm of Workaholics as inept agents. The joke landed squarely on the theme of government failing to protect its own leader — a theme that could easily have been redirected toward Ellison himself, who now runs the company that owns the network airing the show.
Why Oliver Stayed Quiet
Oliver has poked fun at the Ellisons on his program in the past. When the moment arrived to address the news that Ellison’s takeover had been approved and the rebranding as Skydance Corp., Oliver opted not to engage.
The Elephant in the Room
The irony is rich. Oliver’s show is built on mockery, and he used Sunday’s episode to mock the exact kind of leadership that Ellison embodies. He talked about doing more with less, about cutting corners, about letting the president’s safety slip through bureaucratic cracks — all while the man who runs the company that funds the show sits quietly in the background.
The segment’s final joke, the ad with DeVine and Holm, stayed focused on the Secret Service. Oliver let the audience draw the connection themselves.
That is a deft move. It allows him to criticize the broader culture of incompetence without giving Ellison a direct target to retaliate against. But it also leaves the question hanging: if Ellison can cancel Colbert, what happens to Oliver when the contract runs out?
What Happens Next
The merger is set to close Oct. 6. Ellison now controls a vast chunk of Hollywood, and his influence extends across multiple networks. The immediate effects will be felt in job cuts and editorial shifts. CNN is likely to follow the model of the CBS News makeover that Ellison and Weiss executed.
For Oliver, the contract extension buys him some time. He has until 2027, and he has just locked in a deal with HBO. But the deal is with Warner Bros. Discovery, and Warner Bros. Discovery is now owned by Ellison.
The question is not whether Oliver will survive the first year. It is whether he will survive the second.
Maybe next week.
Source material: “John Oliver Dodges David Ellison-Skydance News on ‘Last Week Tonight’,” Variety.
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